My dear friends �� It is over a month since I have written to update all of you of the case and the situation here in Ahmedabad. Here is the situation today.
�� Every time I travel, and at the beginning of every month, I file an application in the sessions court to grant me permission for travel over the month. Every time they postpone the hearing till the day of travel, or the day before, and then grant me leave to make one trip (usually for a day or two) and ask for a rehearing of the rest. The rest never happens. The scenario repeats itself and at the last moment I am given permission for the next day's travel. My organizors continue being on tenterhooks. We continue paying lawyers fee for every appearance in the court. Today in the sessions court I have been given permission to go to The Promise of India conference in Delhi on the 7th and to the Indian School of Business for a lecture on the 10th. Next hearing- 12th January. �� My travel over the next few months includes going abroad. We have reapplied two days ago for a change in the bail rules to allow me to travel within the country and outside upon providing due documentation. The hearing is tomorrow. �� My quashing petition in the high court has now been listed and not heard five times over the last month. The judge has now changed and the next hearing, post the vacation, on the 13th will start at ground zero with a new judge. For every postponement we incur heavy lawyer's fees. �� The first police officer who was in charge of the case, Mr Kataria, was kicked up the week after he told the press that I was co-operating fully with the inquiry. A new officer, Mr Kher, was brought in. He too, two days ago, gave us a clean chit in the inquiry and gave a written report stating that there was no case. He too has been given his marching orders. A new one is yet to be nominated. �� Mr.Saxena, the self-appointed angel of good governance and public morality who is the lead in the previous case, has now filed a new complaint in the police station about another tour, this one undertaken free of fees by Darpana last year to raise funds for girl children in India. The Gujarat Home Minister has yet again advised the police to look into it. �� A man called Mr Scott, who used to run our Natarani Caf� on commission, has jumped onto the bandwagon of litigation and media glory and filed a case of fraud against us for having held back an oven and some pots and pans. This too the Home Minister wants taken seriously. � The Human Rights Commission has officially asked the state government to look into what appears to be harassment against me/Darpana citing the number of prominent individuals and organizations that have spoken in my favour. This inquiry too has been passed on to the local police. � Meanwhile the farce all around continues. I go to the police every time I return and fill in my presence. The Centre does nothing and the police tell me in private how much pressure is being exerted on them to "fix" me. � With best wishes for the new year, �� Mallika Sarabhai ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ------------------------------------------------ visit http://www.geocities.com/sapacchicago email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe sapac" in msg body to unsubscribe
